Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Deputy Foreign Minister NguyenQuoc Dung, head of the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) ASEAN Vietnam, attendedthe meetings.
Participants agreed on specificmeasures to effectively take actions in the ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025,including pooling the full and effective involvement of specialised agencies.
They underscored the need tostrengthen apparatus and streamline operations to effectively fulfill suchgoals. They discussed preparations for the 50th founding anniversaryof ASEAN, and considered external countries’ proposals to join the Treaty ofAmity and Cooperation (TAC) and agenda for the meeting of the Southeast AsianNuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty Executive Committee’s Working Group.
In external relations, countriesreaffirmed determination to strengthen ties with partners on the basis ofrespect to basic principles of ASEAN and uphold the ASEAN Community’s centralrole.
They reviewed specific cooperationactivities with dialogue partners including China, the US, Russia, India, theRepublic of Korea, Australia, Canada and the EU, based on guidelines of the 29th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in September 2016, as well as agreed on basicorientations in the implementation of the Working Plan on improving ASEAN’scentral role.
On the East Sea issue, theylooked into measures to realise outcomes of the ASEAN-China Consultation on theDeclaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and a Code of Conduct inthe East Sea.
The ASEAN SOM with partnerswithin the framework of the ASEAN 3, the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN RegionalForum and the Lower Mekong Initiative are slated for May 23-24.-VNA
VNA
